


Doctor Who Movie - Fix Fic

by HelenC



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 14:00:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19747186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelenC/pseuds/HelenC
Summary: My take on the Seventh Doctor's death, incorporating elements from the Books and Audios published after the TV Movie.I am a shameless apologist for the Seventh Doctor, just fair warning.Contains references to Big Finish Audiobooks and other Novels.





	Doctor Who Movie - Fix Fic

“That’s strange,” said Grace peering in confusion at the image the probe was relaying to a monitor.

Dr Salinger looked at her quizzically; it wasn’t like the hospital’s golden girl to be unsure. “What?”

“Déjà vu! Where am I?"

He gave the picture a brief glance, “er, sub-clavian,”

“I should be in the broncheo-cephalic”

“Not unless this man’s a donkey.” There was gentle laughter from the nurses, but Grace was too worried to be annoyed by the teasing.

“Then I am lost,” she flexed the probe hesitantly. “Let me try something,” she murmured as she pushed it a few more inches into the patient’s artery and quickly turned her attention to the rapidly beeping machine that indicated his heart rate. 

To her astonishment the racing green blips slowed before dropping off abruptly into a much healthier rhythm, whatever she’d done it seemed to have worked. Although, she couldn’t shake a nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong.

“What did you do?” questioned the other surgeon, eyeing the screen slightly suspiciously.

“I don’t know” Grace admitted.

“Well, it seems to be holding, remove the probe and we can close.” He shook his head bemusedly. What a strange case.

However just as Grace reached for the probe a groan from the patient stopped them all in their tracks. It wasn’t possible; surely, they’d given him enough anaesthetic to knock out an elephant. For several moments, everyone stood frozen in horror as the man on the table opened eyes filled with terror and confusion.

Grace looked up, and saw her boss who was up in the gallery showing round investors, a look of pure panic in her eyes, as he quickly ushered the visitors out of the room casting an angry glance her way as he went.

Unseen by the suited man and the surgeon Ace detached herself from the shadows against the wall and looked down on the feebly struggling man on the table. All her love went out to him and she wished with all her heart that she could race down there and save him from the well meaning surgeons, but she well knew from the many years she had travelled with him, and then after that, by herself, that she couldn’t interfere with this. She wondered if this was how he had felt when he had to make those big decisions for the greater good, when he had to let some die to save others. When he had had to let Jan die. 

On many occasions on her travels through time on the hopper she had encountered people she knew she couldn’t save, from big important figures like Lennon and the Kennedys, to personal friends like Manisha and had often fought in battles she knew hadn’t turned out well. Sometimes she had even used underhanded techniques she knew she would have upbraided him for.

As a result she was starting to understand his attitude of apparent aloof indifference. You only had the luxury to question your actions later, in the moment you just had to do whatever you could to save as many as you could and hope you were among the ones you saved. She had often seen the pain in his eyes at the decisions he had to make and she knew that they tormented him far more than hers did; then, having walked in his shoes even to a small degree; maybe she could forgive him what had seemed to her at the time unforgivable, callous machinations.

Although strictly speaking she knew she shouldn't be here at all, but she was damned if he was going to die alone. They may have not always seen eye to eye but no one deserved that.

On the table below the Doctor cast his blurred gaze about restlessly, desperately searching for a familiar face in the maelstrom of chaos around him. One of his hearts had stopped. He was dying. Faces of dear friends came to his befuddled mind and he called out to them weakly “Chris... Roz...” 

Time seemed to freeze. Then he caught sight of another figure among the masked and gowned surgeons. She flitted ghostlike amongst them, unseen, but the Doctor knew her, had always known her, had fought against her at every turn, but now she had a gloating look in her eye.

“Told you so” Death purred “What of Time’s Champion now? Didn’t I tell you you’d come to me friendless” she bent down to whisper in his ear “was it worth it? Causing all that destruction just to be a hero?”

“I have... nothing... to say to you” he managed.

“They will hate you, you know. Your other regenerations will look down on you as a pariah for what you have done. An embarrassment.”

“So?... a Time Lords’ regenerations never get on with one another... it’s like an adult human having to work with the snotty nosed teenager or the arrogant young man they used to be.” He gasped a breath “I tied up all my loose ends so they will not have to make the decisions I did. Condemning me is their luxury, I will not apologise to you for what I had to do. ”

“Such pedestrian analogies. You have the pick of the universe to explore and you choose to spend most of your time in a good-for-nothing backwater among savages.” Death shook her head in mock sorrow.

“What about the Master, he’s still a ‘loose end’?”

“I trust that whoever comes after me will be able to deal with the Master. For all his bluster he is not quite the threat he seems. We know him from childhood,” the Doctor’s breath faltered “we know his tricks...”

The bubble burst and time resumed its flow. The green spikes on the monitor fell away further as his other heart failed under the extra pressure. “Bernice... Ace...” he called one last time as his head fell back on the gurney. He looked upwards, straight into Ace’s eyes; she was smiling at him although tears tracked her cheeks. It may just be his dying mind playing tricks but he could swear he could see Bernice, Hex, Chris, and Roz, even Mel standing with her. He smiled back causing Death to follow his gaze with a snarl to the woman up above.

“I still win Doctor! You still die in ignominy at the hands of your beloved humans!”

The Doctor just let out a contented sigh “I forgive them. Ace...” he exhaled her name with his final breath.

“He’s flatlining! Get that probe out of there!” CPR was started as they desperately tried to bring him back.

“The probe’s snapped, it’s still in him,” called Grace as he went into VF and they charged up the defibrillator.

“Clear!”

“Clear!”

“Clear!”

It was no good; the man was dead. “Time of death?”

“10:03”

Ace waited until they had covered his body with the sheet and went to retrieve her hopper from its hiding place, eyes blurring with tears she didn't bother to wipe away. That still, mad sensation she had felt after her dad's death was coming back to her: it was as if she had lost him all over again.

Now she would go to Bernice and they’d have his wake by themselves, and she could mourn them both, and they’d get drunk and admit things they’d deny when they were sober. They’d remember him: their wonderful, infuriating friend; and when they saw him next they’d say nothing to preserve the time lines, but they’d break just a little bit inside.


End file.
